Here's a real-life essay I wrote for my college English class. I got an A+! (To hide identities, I've added **** throughout the essay.)
"A Tropical Fantasy"It was late in the afternoon on Saturday April 10, 2004. I was sitting in the hot car outside in the parking lot at Farmers Furniture in *********, GA. I was contemplating on whether or not I should go to prom. I had always thought about it throughout high school, but I didn't have a date, and didn't know who to turn to. With mixed emotions, I thought to myself, "How could I not go to my Senior Prom?" Moments later I saw a man walk across the parking lot that bore a striking resemblance to someone I had always had a crush on but didn't see very often. As soon as I got home, I made the phone call.
"Do you know how to get in touch with Phillip *****?" I anxiously asked my best friend Heather prior to explaining to her the situation I was in.
She replied, "I'll see what I can do, and I'll call you back later."
The next day I spoke with Heather again, and she said she would have Phillip call me. Two days passed, and just when I was thinking about giving up on the whole thing, the phone rang! It was Phillip - the guy that I couldn't get off my mind since the beginning of the weekend.
"I hear you want to go with me to your prom, " he said in a deep, sexy voice.
I replied, "Well, yes. Would you go with me?"
My hands were sweaty, my voice sounded shaky, and I was scared and excited all at the same time. I waited for a few seconds, which seemed like a lifetime, for him to reply.
"Of course, I'll go with you. I'd be honored."
I cannot quite recall what was said next because I was so overly excited. He said he would make some plans and get back to me soon.
It was the day before prom, April 16, 2004, and I had no dress. I was frantic.
"What am I going to do?!" I shouted at my mom.
"Calm down baby, we'll find something," she replied.
We went to several stores in town, but I could not find anything. Sure, there were tons of beautiful dresses, but they were all for girls that wore a size 3 or 4. I was very close to giving up on the whole event again, when I found a beautiful crimson dress at Harold's downtown. It fit perfectly and flattered my figure. The price tag, however, was not very flattering - $365. I knew where I was going that night.
We arrived in Macon just after 6:30 p.m. Friday night. I was feeling good about finding a dress at Colonial Mall since there were so many stores. I went into J.C. Penny, Dillard's, Parisian, and a few others, but I found nothing. After about two hours of looking, I was starting to get depressed. I could not find one dress that was my size. I started to worry that I would never find a dress, and in turn, would not be able to go to prom with the guy I'd liked for the past four or five years. Time was ticking down fast. Less than an hour and the mall would be closed. At the last minute, I found a dress store called Heaven on the second level. There were tons of fancy dresses in the windows and on the walls in a wide variety of colors and styles. Everything from expensive ball gowns to party dresses. I was in the store a total of five minutes when I found the dress I knew I wanted for prom. It was a strapless tulle gown. The top of it was outlined with clear, diamond-like rhinestones. The color was light blue - like the ocean in the Bahamas. It laced up in the back and had flowing fabric like a soothing stream that started at my lower back and cascaded to the floor. I was in love with the dress, and they actually had it in my size! I could not have been any happier.
The big day had arrived - Saturday, April 17, 2004. The day of my first date and only prom. I was extremely excited. Around noon I had to go out and find shoes to match my dress. I ended up finding a pair of $7.00 slide on heels at Wal-Mart that fit perfectly and were the exact same color as my dress. When I got home, I spoke to Phillip. He said he would pick me up around 5:30 p.m. After all I had gone through the past week, it was nice to know all I had to do was take a shower, fix my hair and make up and go. Heather came over to help me with everything I needed. I decided not to do my hair fancy, so I just pulled it back loosely with a blue and pearl hair clip. I only put on a minimal amount of makeup - a little foundation, powder, blue and white eye shadow, some mascara, and lip gloss. I wore a pair of sterling silver dangle earrings that almost touched my shoulders, and a simple silver necklace. Within an hour, I was ready. Phillip called around 5:20 p.m. and said he was on his way. Minutes later, he pulled up in a black Lincoln Navigator. I was so nervous! I hadn't seen him since July. He walked in the door and said, "Wow, you look beautiful!" He looked so great! He was wearing a black suit with a pale yellow undershirt, and a dark striped tie. He had a black top hat on his head and a black cane in his left hand. We exchanged the corsage and boutonniere, which were both yellow flowers, took a few photos, and we were on our way!
We arrived at ****** High School just in time for lead out - a pre-prom event where the couples are announced and walk down a runway in the gym. Phillip and I were near the beginning of the line. The gym was dark, and mostly only lit by lights strung throughout. We walked through an archway as Mrs. Shaw announced our names. I was hoping I wouldn't trip! We made it through fine, and then entered the actual doors to prom. Our theme was A Tropical Fantasy, and it was beautiful inside! There were palm trees growing out of the floor and red, blue, purple, green and yellow balloons floating through the air. We even had a waterfall and a volcano emerging from the walls that were once our lunch room area. I was taken away by how well-decorated it was, and the fact that I was there with someone I cared about made it so much better. I'm not much of a dancer, but we did slow dance to quite a few songs. One song in particular that I remember us dancing to was "Take My Breath Away" from the Top Gun soundtrack. Phillip and I had walked outside and when the song came on we decided to dance out under the stars. There were tiki torches set up in the courtyard, the sky was clear, and it was just the most perfect romantic moment. I felt as it I was in a movie. We stayed outside and talked a little before going back inside for some refreshments and conversations with friends. After a few more dances, we decided to leave a little early so he could take me out to dinner. Unfortunately, it was after 10:30 p.m. and most restaurants were closed, so we decided to go to Macon. After driving all that way, it was close to midnight, and everything was closed. On our way back, we stopped by Wal-Mart and picked up some Stouffer's lasagna and a couple of drinks. We went back to his apartment and he cooked for me! It was so sweet. He even gave me some old clothes to wear so that I could be comfortable. We listened to the radio and slow danced to a couple of songs. As we were dancing he slowly backed me up against the wall. He was staring at me intently as his dark brown eyes searched my own.
"What?" I asked him.
"Nothing, just trying to figure out how much I might offend you," he replied.
"Offend me by doing what?"
"By kissing you."
"You wouldn't offend me at all," I said, knowing that at that very moment I was about to experience the very first kiss of my life.
I was somewhat nervous, but felt so comfortable and safe in his arms. He caressed my face with his big, soft hands. Heads tilted, our lips met in a moment of complete romantic passion. It was perfect.
A few moments later, the lasagna was ready. It was delicious, and the fact that he cooked for me made me feel so special. Soon after eating, and another kiss, I fell asleep in his arms on the couch. I woke up only to find that it was close to 6:00 a.m! He took me home and I slept until after noon the next day. We've been together ever since, and I'm loving every minute of it!
